Suspicious Minds/Story
This page contains the story of Suspicious Minds. Suspicious Minds “We’re caught in a trap. I can’t walk out. Because I love you too much, baby.” Scotty was pressed close against his bedroom door, caught between the sounds of a music-only TV station and sobbing wife. He didn’t know what the hell to do, he didn’t know how the hell to take the news that another child had bled straight out of her. Scotty tried, he really did, not to compare his partners, but it was times like these that he really missed Sasha’s presence. Not even in a romantic sense, just the thought that she wasn’t near enough to come breaking down a door holding a bottle of wine and a handful of confetti. He sighed. They’d been together six years and just got married in the last three. Magnolia desperately wanted a biological child and would not take adoption for an answer, despite the fact she was terribly infertile. And Scotty knew that wasn’t just an assumption, a doctor had told her the same thing. But she was Magnolia and Magnolia didn’t accept that answer. “Maggie-” Scotty said softly, not even trying to move closer. “No!!” she screamed back, “Shut up, shut up!! Scotty, we just-!! Don’t you care!?” “I care about you not bleeding through to my mattress. Put something on, Christ.” Magnolia came up from her hands to shoot daggers at him. “That’s all you care about? Your sheets?” “Yes, Maggie! I’m not gonna sleep on something soaked in blood, that’s my side you’re sobbing on!” “We just…” she breathed, strained, “We just lost a child and all you care about is how clean your sheets are.” “It’s been a week since you-- we-- found out, Mags. It’s not even-” he sighed, dragging a hand across his face, “I swear, we get into this every month. I’m sorry I’m not as sad the twentieth time you tell me we had another miscarriage!” Magnolia scowled, and managed to say between sobs, “Get out.” Scotty blinked in disbelief, “What?” “Get. Out.” “No, it’s my goddamned apartment.” “Get out!!” “Maggie--” “Don’t call ''me that! Get out!” “How ‘bout you get out!” “What so you can call in your girlfriend'' and get her pregnant instead of me?!” Magnolia asked, even angrier if that was possible. Scotty froze. “Leave, Prescott!” Scotty held his tongue. He hated that name and he hated every time it got used. He even moreso hated this cheating accusation. He shook his head and resisted any action the worst parts of his brain were telling him to commit, and padded, slowly, to their dresser. Magnolia turned around to watch. She knew he kept a switch in one of the drawers and Scotty figured she was just worrying. Of course, her worry about Scotty stabbing her just refilled Scotty’s cocktail of anger, sadness and annoyance. What happened to us? “Okay, tell you what,” Scotty said, forcing away all negative emotion in his voice and pulling out the first tie his hands could grab, “We both go out, cool off, wash the sheets and we can…” he let out a breath, “Try again some other time.” But any of Scotty’s hopes were gone just like their third attempt at starting a family, and it was honestly a chore at this point. “You’re gonna take me to a bar and leave me to hook up with that Sasha gal of yours.” Scotty froze and felt the fur on his shoulders rise. He turned around slowly. She knew Sasha. She’d been through his computer. She’d been through his emails. God-- and if she thought his relationship with Sasha was cheating he wondered what she thought his relationship was with Piper, the deskman at his old California job, was. Piper didn’t hide the fact he was gay and Magnolia knew Scotty would date a man. “You’re never welcome at my office again,” he said coldly, “Now get off my bed so I can change the sheets and put on a damn pad.” He grabbed one of her underwears and handed it to her after she stood. Magnolia, eyes still full of tears, looked between Scotty and them for a minute. “Would you like a shirt with that, too, it’s not healthy to sleep in bras.” Magnolia wiped her face and passed him without a word, so Scotty got to work. “You want me to try and find a good courthouse next week?” “What for?” “So we can get a divorce.” Scotty kneeled down, squinting at a stain he couldn’t tell being grease or blood. Magnolia’s voice was quiet, “D-divorce?” Scotty pressed a knuckle to it. Dry, and on the side. It was grease until the morning. So, he went on to pull off the rest of the sheets. “We aren’t happy, Mags. Every month we try to get pregnant, and then you miscarry, and you yell at me because you believe I caused it! And you don’t want to adopt and I don’t fucking ''want kids in the first place!” “Scots-” Magnolia said quietly. “You know what? No. No, you were just yelling at me and not letting me get a word in. You just accused me of cheating on you! And accusing me of getting a woman with a dick, who you know is a woman with a dick, pregnant! Honestly, how far are you willing to stretch reality just to prove yourself right! And I don’t say anything because I ''love you!” Scotty pulled the sheets together and couldn’t bear to look at his wife. He was too pissed off to care about putting on another sheet, no matter how strong both of their hatred for sleeping on mattresses was. Scotty sighed again, sitting on the corner of the bed. “I can hear it so clearly, Maggie. You’re up on the stand saying I assaulted you and kicked you in the stomach so you’d miscarry. And that isn’t a good sign!” He managed to look up at Magnolia, but not really, moreso the crystals and her jewelry on top of the dresser. He stood and sighed, grabbing the sheets. “I’m gonna run these down to the laundry room and calm down. Don’t bleed on the mattress.” “Okay,” was all Magnolia said. Scotty would never admit it hurt. Category:Rewrite Category:Stories